AfriGeneas Free Persons of Color Forum

After taking a trip to look at the Free Negro Lists at the Library of Virginia recently, I got the feeling that Dennis Evans was not related to John or Charles Evans. Several families were listed as units starting in 1801 and Dennises name did not show up until the year 1821. He lived on the land of Tho Haskins. I was hoping to locate some of Dennises family members at the time but no one was listed as living with him and I know he was married to Manerva - so it is possible she was a slave.

A few days ago I was looking through marriage records trying to find the maiden names of Dennises female descendants. I came across a marriage record for 1870 of a 70 year old Dennis Evans getting married - probably remarried - to a 60 year old Sallie Banks. My ancestor Dennis was probably older than that in 1870 but there were not many people living in that county at that time around that age with that name so it may have been my Dennis Evans. He reported that his occupation was a mechanic. I have only known my ancestor to be a miller, a carpenter and a farmer. I have never known him to be a mechanic. In the marriage record, Dennis reported his parents names as Anthony and Maria. According to Melvin Patrick Ely's, Israel on the Appomattox, there was an enslaved family of Evans and other slaves who claimed to be descended from an unfairly enslaved Native Indian in 1814.

It went to trial and all slaves were set free. The Evans picked up and moved to Kentucky. One of those Evans was named Anthony.

In the property tax records you cited, Dennis was not taxed until 1815.

Also, in the census, there is a mulatto Dennis Evans around the age of my Evans ancestor living in Kentucky.

So there is also a chance that Dennis was one of the slaves freed in that case who decided to stay on in Virginia. I hope to look at the details of the case soon.